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2

Please use Google for this sort of question. It is already very well covered
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TFDOct 12 '11 at 7:16

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@TFD: How will Google pick Seasoned Advice if it doesn't have this question already?
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BaffledCookOct 12 '11 at 8:19

@BaffledCook Why would you want that for? So we get 1000 recipe requests per day? And then have 400,000 unanswered questions like SO!
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TFDOct 12 '11 at 17:33

@BaffledCook, while I'd normally be on your side, this is clearly a general reference question; questions of the form "Define <common term X>" are best left to the dictionaries and encyclopedias that exist for that express purpose.
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Aaronut♦Oct 13 '11 at 1:28

Mirepoix, in every reference I've seen, refers to the chop of vegetables of onion, carrots, and celery - in the ratio of 2:1:1. You dice up the vegetables - normally small, but there are rarer applications (long stews for example) where a larger dice is acceptable, but certainly not the norm.

Mirepoix alone is not intended to be a dish - its a component that goes well with many, many other things. It has its roots in French cuisine and its generally a 'base' that you build other flavors upon. Think of it as "Here's a well known, good starting point to build complex flavors on". They are normally added to the dish very early on and often cooked at low heat in order to 'sweat', often with butter. In addition to their usage in normal dishes, they're included in stocks for the same reason. They provide good aroma and taste to the stock and sit well with other common meats and herbs.

Other cuisines have adapted a similar trio of veggies to use as a base. Cajun cuisine uses bell pepper in the place of carrots and calls it 'The Holy Trinity". Italian cuisine has the same principle in 'soffritto' - the principle difference being olive oil here, although it often contains garlic as well. In Spain, its sofrito - garlic, onions, and tomatoes - but it can also be more sauce-like.